Variables 2
- October 1, 2021
- Asteroid Game Studio
Get on SteamAfter two years of precipitation, we re-made this variable sequel after thinking about it! Variable 2 is a unique stand-alone tower defense game. We have enriched the building and elements of tower defense, and the experience in the game can be changed according to your ideas!
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fresh and innovative take on the tower defense genre, with unique mechanics like creating attacker routes and combining turrets for enhanced power.
- Players have reported enjoying the gameplay, with a wide variety of guns and strategic options that keep the experience engaging and replayable.
- Many reviewers appreciate the game's potential for fun and challenge, especially in the later levels, and consider it a worthy sequel that improves upon its predecessor.
- The English translation is often poor, leading to confusion with tutorials and item descriptions, which can detract from the overall experience.
- The game suffers from bugs and performance issues, which can disrupt gameplay and frustrate players, especially when designing levels.
- Some players find the user interface overly complicated and cluttered, making it difficult to access essential information and manage gameplay effectively.
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been criticized for lacking the charm and depth of the original, with many feeling that the updates have resulted in a soulless aesthetic rather than a meaningful improvement. While some elements, like the boss fight mechanics and health bar graphics, are praised for their innovation, the overall visual presentation fails to meet expectations given the resources invested in the game.
“The graphics are more smoothed over and soulless than the original, and astonishingly, the soundtrack pales in comparison to the original as well.”
“I think the boss fight mechanics and health bar graphics are really cool and innovative.”
“Really all they had to do with this game was incrementally improve on the original (in the spirit of Dungeon Warfare II vs I) and they would have had a beautiful thing on their hands; instead, it seems to try to reinvent the original with 'updated' graphics and UI which end up unnecessarily complicating things.”
“The graphics are more smoothed over and soulless than the original and, astonishingly, the soundtrack pales in comparison to the original as well (yes - the one song that drills itself into your head hour after hour in Variables 1 - is actually better than any of the soulless crap on offer here).”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is an improvement over the first installment, featuring a mix of RNG elements that can be both enjoyable and frustrating. A new vertical maze-building mechanic adds depth, allowing for multi-leveled designs, while the game also offers engaging boss fights and innovative health bar graphics. Overall, it remains a fun tower defense experience with unique twists and strategic possibilities.
“In terms of gameplay, it's just better than the first in every respect. There's still an RNG element to it, which can be fun or annoying depending on your preference. Additionally, there's a new vertical mechanic where you can build mazes on three different levels. While it may not be as significant as it seems, it can be enjoyable to create multi-leveled mazes.”
“Other than that, it's a fun tower defense game with some interesting twists. You can engage in a lot of creative strategies in endless mode once you better understand the mechanics of the game and how to utilize the items, which adds to the fun.”
“I think the boss fight mechanics and health bar graphics are really cool and innovative.”
“In terms of gameplay, it's just better than the first in every respect... there's still an RNG element to it, which can be fun or annoying depending on whether you like that sort of thing. There's a new vertical mechanic where you can build mazes in three different levels, but that's not as huge as it might look, to be honest. However, it can be fun to build multi-leveled mazes.”
“Other than that, it's a fun tower defense game with some interesting twists. You can do a lot of degenerate strategies in endless mode once you better understand the mechanics of the game and how to use the items, so that's always fun too.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been criticized for lacking the emotional depth and memorability of the original soundtrack, with reviewers describing it as "soulless" and inferior to previous compositions. One standout track from the original is noted as being more impactful than the new offerings.
“The soundtrack pales in comparison to the original; the one song that drills itself into your head hour after hour in the original is actually better than any of the soulless tracks on offer here.”
“The music lacks the emotional depth and creativity of the original, making it feel flat and uninspired.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its poor optimization, as it demands excessive CPU and GPU resources despite its simplicity, suggesting it may not be well-suited for the Unity engine.
“It really puts a heavy strain on your CPU and GPU for such a simple game, and I feel like it isn't optimized for the Unity engine.”
“The game suffers from severe performance issues, making it frustrating to play.”
“I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which indicates poor optimization.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has received negative feedback regarding its stability, with users reporting significant bugs that can disrupt gameplay, particularly after investing time in designing features.
“The primary reason I'm giving it a thumbs down is that it's just so buggy, and when you spend a lot of time designing a field, that can be a real killer.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience.”
“I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted gameplay and made it frustrating to progress.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable due to its tile-laying mechanics for creating attack routes and the ability to combine turrets into more powerful versions, which adds layers of strategy and challenge to each playthrough.
“The mechanisms of creating the attacker's route using tiles you lay down, combined with the ability to merge turrets into more powerful ones, make the game challenging and highly replayable.”
“Each playthrough offers a unique experience, thanks to the diverse strategies and combinations available, ensuring that no two games feel the same.”
“The variety of characters and upgrades encourages experimentation, making it easy to jump back in for a fresh experience every time.”
